


There Is A Field

by nocturnalboys



Series: Antedeluvian [2]
Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Cults, M/M, Magic, Post-Apocalypse, Trans Characters, mythological realism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-02-05 13:02:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12795138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nocturnalboys/pseuds/nocturnalboys
Summary: Hakuryuu and Judal journey back towards danger- not to mention the promise of vengeance. With Judal by his side and the power of a god at his fingertips, it begins to feel as though they might triumph alone. That is until a surprising encounter opens a new opportunity for him and for all the remnants of civilization.(Haha whoops it took me this long to realize I forgot a summary on this yikes....)





	There Is A Field

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so..... this story took a little bit longer than planned, and the plot kinda ran away from me? So enjoy part two..... of three :D

_Out beyond ideas_  
_Of Wrong and Rightdoing_  
_There is a field_  
_I will meet you there_

The stream, shallowly gliding over a bed of stones and mud, snaked down through the swampland and the yellowing trees. Though it was fall, heat rose from the fern-coated earth, and Hakuryuu’s feet sank slowly into the warm murk beneath a deformed oak tree. Beside him, the stream ran on in silence, water sluicing deeper into the earth until it disappeared into a crumbling concrete tunnel leading below a bluff of pine trees and into the earth. Patiently, Hakuryuu watched the pines, the dense bunches of needles blending into each other and the darkness. 

It had only been three days since he and Judal left the cult and the crude grouping of cabins, but it turned out one could learn a lot in three days. Learning to use his power came easier than Hakuryuu expected. Besides Zagan’s guidance and Judal’s advice, there was something natural about it, and using a limb he didn’t know he had, but that his mind knew unconsciously how to move. This would be their second sparring match. Judal won the first one, but this time, Hakuryuu didn’t intend on letting him get the upper hand. 

Closing his eyes, he made a fist with his wooden fingers, feeling the hum of blood-like sap pulsing under the surface. And in that, he could feel the same of every other plant littering the swampland. From the trees to the ferns to the seeds lying in the murk, to reeds and fungi and creeping vines, Hakuryuu could feel the ever-present vitality of their life. 

There was a sudden rustling in the pines, needles brushing each other in a whispering symphony. From the darkness came the small creatures first, the mice and toads, a rabbit or two. Some without heads, some partial amputees, most with their eyes missing and bones exposed to the elements, they shuffled down the bluff like a bastardized puppet show, disturbing the leaf litter. Hakuryuu’s eyes snapped open at the sound of the shifting leaves. He would start slowly, pace himself. With a twitch of his wooden fingers, he brought the ferns to violent life, tendrils lashing out and sweeping Judal’s front line into the stream.

Next came the foxes and coyotes, and these were faster. In spite of its torn sides, guts trailing out like exposed wiring, a grey coyote rushed first from the pines, unbroken jaw and fangs bared. Having warmed up, Hakuryuu sent a tendril of poison ivy to tangle the undead creature, shredding its small intestine as it wove through the hole in its side. Like he was conducting an orchestra, Hakuryuu jerked his hands through the fetid air, until the slope was littered in immobilized corpses. 

“Is that all?” Hakuryuu called, tauntingly, at the pines. 

With a laugh, Judal sprang from the shadows, and the stream exploded into shards of ice. Hakuryuu barely had time enough to bend the oak around him in defense, a hasty shield to deflect the frozen shrapnel. Now surrounded by a hail of ice, Judal stood in the stream bed, the crimson pits of his eyes gleaming in victory. “I should be asking you the same thing, Ryuu.” He replied teasingly, beckoning to the trees, and his true force shuffled forward; three bears, a fallow deer, a moose, a stallion, and the bloated black bodies of two humans, so deformed that Hakuryuu could discern nothing about them except their shapes.

Judal may have had two powers, but Hakuryuu was a better multitasker. Sweeping his hand across the swampland, Hakuryuu grabbed onto the life force of a group of lily pads, jerking them towards his tree. Where the trunk and branches failed to conceal him from the ice, the circular leaves hovered like patches. At the same time, he jerked the tree’s roots from the unstable earth. He ignored the reinforcements, pushing them at Judal instead. 

Drawing his hands together, Judal combined the shards into a cone, jamming it like a stake through the roots. Hakuryuu felt the tree groan, the wood shuddering, but the sacrifice was worth it; Judal was too distracted to see to his undead. Gritting his teeth, Hakuryuu directed his attention to the seeds lying below the leaf-litter and concentrated hard. In a real fight it would have taken too long, and Hakuryuu had a feeling Judal was going easy on him, but at last the casings burst, and the deer, along with the horse, were subsumed by an explosion of sudden growth. 

Judal was grinning, approval written across his face. “That’s nice, but I wouldn’t get too comfortable hiding in that tree. It’s almost like you think you might win all cooped up in there!” And all at once the creatures shambled no more, but rushed Hakuryuu’s sanctum beneath the oak. The humans hit first, prising their blackened hands through the cracks in his defense. A sense of real panic settled briefly in Hakuryuu’s gut; the sight of those hands, blindly grasping, invoked a primal feeling of wrongness. If he was powerless, he might have been truly afraid. 

But he was not, and Judal was not aiming to kill. A shudder moving through him, he transformed his wooden hand, curving the fingers into a scimitar-like blade, slicing off the bloated hands at the wrist, watching them tumble like spiders to the earth. His heart beating fiercely, he felt a bizarre sense of calm wash over him; it was just him, his heart, and the pulse of life all around. A shout forced its way out of him as he reached down further and further, grasping the core of the pulse, a tiny fragile thing, and focused only on that. 

There was a roar, the displacement of air sudden and sharp as a gunshot, a patch of mold growing on the pelt of a black bear bursting like a metastasizing tumor. Almost a monster itself, it wrapped around the corpse in a hideous embrace, strangling it. Hakuryuu’s ears were ringing, his forehead and back slick with sweat as he watched in awe. He had done _that_ , created a beast from mere slime. Before he could tire, he turned it on the others, and like a sea serpent unleashing its anger on a fragile flotilla of ships, his creature tore them into chunks of bone and diseased flesh. 

Judal laughed, seeming to forget he was supposed to be Hakuryuu’s opponent. “Yes! Fuck, yes, I don’t know what you just did but it was fucking amazing!”

Hakuryuu, on the other hand, still wanted very badly to win. He let the connection with his creation thin and snap, directing the limbs and trunk of the oak towards Judal. The cone of ice fractured and broke, and Judal was caught up in a prison of leaves and twigs. Panting slightly, Hakuryuu wiped his forehead, walking smugly to where Judal now struggled. “You know, it was.” He chuckled, taking pride in his power for once. 

Judal, huffing in annoyance, flapped a paralyzed hand at Hakuryuu. “This is overkill, c’mon let me down!”

“But I had to prove I won, right? Checkmate,” Hakuryuu braced himself on one branch, leaning in to kiss Judal, who forgot very quickly that he was trapped. Breaking the kiss, Hakuryuu twisted the branches back into place, helping Judal to land on his feet. 

The stream-bed was now only a trickle, the decomposing corpses of perhaps twenty animals dotted around the bluff. Hakuryuu’s base tree slumped in the ground, bent out of shape and supported by only a few roots. Pitying it, Hakuryuu hung behind for a minute or two before they moved on, gently healing the shredded stumps of its roots and coaxing it back into the wet earth. 

***

That night they set camp in the ruin of what might have once been an elementary school. Most of the structure was collapsed, and only one corner still stood, offering a decaying overhang beneath which Hakuryuu pitched the tent. It drew dark quickly. Hakuryuu gathered the remains of tables and chairs and a mostly-dry math workbook, setting a small fire, while Judal lay in the grass and watched. 

“You know,” Hakuryuu snorted, standing up once the fire was lit and re-doing the loose pony-tail in his hair, “you could’ve helped me. You didn’t seem that tired.”

Judal gave him a sly smile, his eyes flashing. “I’m not tired, I just like watching you.”

Although he couldn’t help his blush, Hakuryuu snorted, rolling his eyes. “You can watch and help me. This is just like with my garden. You could sit up in a tree and watch me weed, but you couldn’t ever offer a helping hand.”

“Aw, don’t be so damn hard on me, can’t I just have a ticket?”

“To what?” Hakuryuu asked, bemused. 

“To the gun show!”

This time, Hakuryuu laughed, the sound soft against the background static of dusk birds and the crackling fire. “Alright, okay, you get a pass this time.”

Judal rolled over onto his side, patting the grass next to him, his eyebrows raised and his mouth twisted in a smirk. “Well? Come on Ryuu, you worked hard enough today.”

Although he wanted to go to him, Hakuryu shook his head, digging a sketchbook and a pencil stub from his pack. “Not yet. I’ve gotta plan. How many times do I have to remind you; even people like us can’t just march into a heavily defended enclave like my Mother’s and come out on top. If we don’t have some trick up our sleeve, some strategy, this won’t mean a damn thing. We’ll be throwing ourselves at our own death.”

He began to draw, using several bits of dated road map to fill in the gaps where his memory failed him. There was the city, the blocky urban grid, surrounded by spider-webbing lines of suburb. The bay curved along its rightmost edge, and about 100 miles to the south and east, Hakuryuu marked the spot where he and Judal camped. Trying to think logically, he detailed several routes- one up the coast, two inland, on the main roads. It was no use; no matter what he tried, a memory of some outpost or remote guard flared up in his mind. Except for only the most remote slivers of wild, every path they tried to forge would be blocked.

Fighting with anyone before they reached the city was not an option. Even if there were no survivors, someone would notice radio silence. Frustrated, but not wanting to seem like it, Hakuryuu channeled his frustration into poking his pencil over and over again into the same spot on the paper. If there was a way around, above or below, he didn’t yet know what it could be, and they simply didn’t have the resources to find one quickly. 

At last exhausting his patience, Hakuryuu put the paper and pencil away. “Want me to make dinner or can that wait?” He looked back to Judal, who was mindlessly picking blades of grass out of the ground and tossing them into a pile. 

Judal shrugged. “I’m not that hungry. Did you get anywhere? Have any bright ideas?”

“Unfortunately not.” Hakuryuu admitted, and at last he went to curl up at Judal’s side. Wrapping an arm around Hakuryuu’s waist, Judal fit snugly into the curve of his back. Breathing deeply, he allowed himself to briefly forget his clumsy map and the miles between where they lay and the goal. They would get there eventually. The beat of Judal’s heart against his was a promise of that.

“You will,” Judal murmured, “I know you will.”

***

What choice did they have but to keep walking? The morning passed easily, pale sunlight brightening steadily to warm Hakuryuu in its glow. As he walked, he practiced using the plants around him. He made dying flowers bloom, trees sway, leaves momentarily turn back to green. More than once he tricked Judal, tapping a vine or branch on his shoulder from several paces behind, and each time Judal gasped and swatted at it like it was the first. 

After the fifth time, Judal turned, scowling. “You are a huge fucking bully, you know that? Maybe I’ll put some ice down your back, then we’ll see who’s laughing.”

“It’ll probably still be me.” Hakuryuu grinned. “I won’t make a big deal out of it, and messing with you will still be fun.”

Judal, looking scandalized, formed a sliver of ice in his hand. “We’ll see about that!” 

Hakuryuu ran, making it across three overgrown expressway lanes before Judal finally caught up with him, grabbing the neckline of his shirt and dropping in the ice. It was bitterly cold, but in spite of that Hakuryuu managed not to yelp, instead lazily fanning his face. “Thanks for the ice, you really know how to cool a guy down after he’s been running in the hot sun.”

“You… you…” Judal struggled to use his words before simply tackling Hakuryuu into the deep grass, where they rolled like play-fighting puppies. Judal’s anger quickly faded, and before long they came to a stop, covered in seeds and burrs, Judal’s braid looking like a pincushion of dry weeds. Hakuryuu couldn’t help laughing. 

Judal snorted, oblivious. “Why’re you laughing?”

His laughter trailing off, Hakuryuu gently grabbed Judal’s straw-filled braid. “You know, I don’t know,” he said, in awe, “I guess I’ve just never been this happy before. God that sounds ridiculous… You don’t even know how embarrassed I am. But it’s true.” Before this, what had there been? Years spent trapped with his mother, life on the run, the purgatory of his cabin with the cultists? Judal was here now, and Hakuryuu could feel himself coming to life even as the world around him shed its leaves for winter.

His words had clearly struck Judal, who was looking down at him with an expression of dawning affection. The adulation in his eyes remained, but the warmth in the quirk of his lips spoke of something else, so Hakuryuu brought him down by his braid and kissed them. 

Judal sank down against him, wasting no time in slipping his tongue into Hakuryuu’s mouth. If Judal had been anyone else, Hakuryuu might have been disgusted by the thought of having someone else’s tongue in his mouth, but it was Judal, and that thought paled in comparison to the way it felt. He sighed through his nose, tugging on his braid to urge him closer. 

It was warm in the sun, and as Judal kissed him with increasing hunger, Hakuryuu felt lost in a hazy daydream. They parted briefly for air, and Hakuryuu reached shamelessly for Judal’s waistband. “Not like anybody’s watching,” he said lightly, grinning. 

Delighted, Judal slid his hands under Hakuryuu’s shirt, pushing it up his chest to expose his scars, borne of both scalpel and flame. “Yes! I knew you couldn’t resist me.”

“Really, would you call chasing me with ice flirting?” Hakuryuu teased, rubbing his thumb tenderly against the bottom edge of Judal’s tattoo. 

“Uh, yeah?” Judal smirked, kissing his chest. “What would you call it?”

Hakuryuu decided to be bold. “A waste of time you could spend fucking me, that’s what I call it.”

Judal opened his mouth to give an eager reply, but he was interrupted by a loud crash in the forest to one side of the abandoned road. He yelped like a startled cat, his hair even seeming to bristle as he jumped. “What the fuck was that?”

Hastily pulling down his shirt, Hakuryuu sat up, squinting into the darkness. “... We’d better go see.” He muttered.

“Aw man, are you serious?”

 

“As a heart attack. I’ll give you an IOU, we can finish this later.” He wiggled out from beneath Judal, brushing off his clothes. “I just… need to know what that was. You know how paranoid I am.”

“Paranoid doesn’t cover it. It’s not a strong enough word. What do you wanna do about it?”

“I’ll go over there alone for now. I don’t think it would be good for you to get recognized, just in case another actual person made that noise.” With a few deep breaths, he made sure his heart wasn’t beating as fast as it had been just moments before, and giving Judal no time to argue, he set out by himself into the woods. 

It was quiet now, and still. Reaching a small clearing, Hakuryuu turned in a slow circle, his ears pricked for any new sound, but none came. The wind gently rustled the yellow leaves all around, and Hakuryuu began to think that maybe he’d made a mistake. He and Judal probably just suffered from a brief shared hallucination. 

The voice of Zagan resonated wordlessly in Hakuryuu’s chest, stopping him in his tracks just as he was about to go back to the road. No, there was something there, and the god he swallowed could sense it. Scarcely a few moments later came another heavy thud, the sound of branches breaking and snapping before the weight of the trunk hit the ground. It must have been a tall tree, because the vibrations ran from the earth up Hakuryuu’s legs, making him feel like a struck tuning fork. 

Now or never. Crouching low to the ground, Hakuryuu crept down a slope dotted with old growth trees, his footsteps masked by a carpet of moss. These trees were so old, and Hakuryuu could hear them calling out to him as he passed. Drawing deeper into the hollow, away from the autumn sunlight, he could also sense the dying energy of two or three felled giants, their bodies shattered, roots shredded out of the dark soil. What could possibly be strong enough to knock down a tree like these? He puzzled, resting a comforting hand on the bark of a fearful beech tree. 

He was about to find out. He could just spot the fallen trees, lying comically against each other like a kicked toy log cabin. There was still no noise, no new movement. No- impossibly, improbably, there was movement, so strange that for an instant Hakuryuu thought he might have been dreaming. One of the trees lifted, seeming to levitate off the ground, before the girl holding it stepped out from behind the cover of the treeline. 

From what Hakuryuu could see, she wasn’t very tall, and even though she was well-muscled, it was unthinkable that anyone could be able to lift a tree that size. Her skin was beautifully dark, like the shadows in a sepia photograph, and her hair, red as a bonfire, probably would have been visible from the summit of the slope Hakuryuu had crept down. Hakuryuu hazily recalled a book of myths he had as a young child. Hadn’t there been one about a hapless young hunter stumbling upon an all-powerful goddess in the woods? And in recompense, she turned him into a stag and sent dogs after him? 

He felt a sudden desperate fear that he would suffer a similar fate. 

As his breath caught, the girl turned sharply, and there could be no illusion- she’d heard him, all the way from down there. Giving him not a second to evade her, she dropped the tree, leaping as easily as a gazelle into the air. She flew up the slope, the folds of her simple white dress fluttering like wings as she completed the arc, knocking Hakuryuu to the ground with the sheer force of his astonishment. 

She stood above him in silence, her eyes fixed on his face. Why didn’t she speak? Hakuryuu thought, baffled. And yet he could find no words either. It would be wrong for him to speak first. 

Nothing moved. Her face was impossible to read.

At last she finished judging him. There was a flicker in her gaze, a choice made, and she reached down to offer a helping hand. “You don’t remember me,” she said carefully, her voice with practiced softness, “but I remember you. I’m Morgiana Fanalis. And you are the youngest Ren. I…” her tone grew more bold, and she offered her hand a little more eagerly, “I have something you should see.”

How did she know who he was? If he didn’t take her hand, accept the implicit offer of trust, he would never know. He cleared his throat, reaching up to take it, and with incredible ease she pulled him to his feet. “I’m Hakuryuu… now.” He added, lamely. She didn’t need to know the entire story of his life yet, even if she could recognize him. “And not yet. There’s someone with me. If there’s anything you want from me, we need to go back so I can tell him, and once you explain it to both of us, then we’ll see.”

“As long as I get to show you eventually,” she nodded, letting go of his hand. “Lead the way.”

He led her out of the hollow, his stomach knotting with trepidation and curiosity in equal measure. If she did want to hurt him, he had his gun and his abilities, and he could call for Judal, too. There was just something about her that, in spite of her speed and strength, lent her a gentle aura. 

Reaching the edge of the woods, just hidden in the trees, Hakuryuu turned back to speak to her in low tones. “You can come out when I wave to you. I have to explain things to him, he’s not the kind of guy who likes surprises.”

She nodded, once. “I understand. Go to him.”

Hakuryuu surprised himself with the speed he ran from the tree cover, taking both Judal’s hands in his. “Judal, there was someone out there, this girl-”

Judal’s face, initially so alight with happiness at his return, wrinkled in confusion. “Wait, what? Can you start over?” He shook his head. “Don’t tell me-”

 

“She was doing all these amazing things. She could lift up a whole fallen tree with her bare hands. So I watched her, and she noticed, and she told me… she knew who I was?” This sounded more and more insane the longer he went on. “And she wants to show me something, but I told her not without you. So she’s gonna explain to us, I guess… Please stop looking at me like I’ve grown a second head, Ju.” He sighed heavily. 

Judal snorted, shaking his head. “Oh come on, you gave me an IOU! I thought that meant right when you came back! Plus how do we know she doesn’t wanna kill us both? How do we know anything she says is true? Is she right over there?” He peered over Hakuryuu’s shoulder.

“Yes, she is. And I guess we don’t know anything. Something about her just seemed urgent, like she really needed my attention.” Hakuryuu gave his hands a squeeze. “Please, give this a chance. Please.”

Judal’s face softened, the lines smoothing. “Fuck, alright. If she makes even one wrong move, I’ll kill her though. I know I will.”

Why, oh why was that so fucking endearing? Hakuryuu couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he waved at the shadows beneath the trees. “I know you would. In a second.”

Morgiana walked out into the sunlight, squinting a little at the brightness before her eyes widened so dramatically their whites shone. “I… I… you?!”

Judal made a face, pointing at himself. “Yeah, me?”

“You! Everyone knows you disappeared, but we didn’t know where. I was gone before Gyokuen found you but… but I… Nobody would’ve thought you’d defected.” She gaped at him, in awe. “You and him. You both ran. It makes sense.”

Judal scowled. “Who is this ‘nobody’ anyway? I know I’m great, but there’s no fucking need to talk about me behind my back.”

“E-explain.” Hakuryuu felt himself say, but his mouth felt worlds away from his mind. 

Morgiana paused, still taking in the sight of them. “Right. I’m not sure I can explain it properly. Seeing it would be better. But you two… you both escaped her. I did too. And many others.” She seemed a little proud of that last fact. “You both have gods inside you, and so do I.” As though to prove that for certain, she raised a hand away from her body, and in seconds it was ablaze. Hakuryuu could feel the rush of heat hit him instantly. The fire danced around her skin, but it did not harm her, and she looked somehow even more mesmerising in the orange glow.

Judal made a noise of discontent. “Yeah, you know what? We will go with you, I guess. Just to see what this mystery surprise is all about.” He said, snappishly.

She put out the flame in her hand, smiling brightly. “Really, you will?”

“Yeah, whatever.” Before Hakuryuu could even see it coming, Judal had pulled him into an obscenely deep kiss, sliding his hands to cup his cheeks. Embarrassed and stunned though he was, Hakuryuu couldn’t bring himself to pull away, and he kissed back, letting his hands slip to Judal’s waist. By the time Judal released him, Morgiana was staring blankly at them, her eyebrows raised. 

Hakuryuu felt his cheeks burn. “Yeah, i-it’s like that-” he managed to say, but Morgiana cut him off, bursting into barely restrained laughter. 

Judal grinned, smugly. “Yep. It’s definitely like that.” He proclaimed. “Can you lead us?” Morgiana, still giggling, nodded and headed back into the trees.

Once she was out of earshot, Hakuryuu turned to give Judal a look. “Aw, Ju. Were you jealous? Did you feel a sudden need to mark your territory?” He smirked, knowing he was right.

“Yeah, so what if I did?” Judal replied, unrepentantly. “We’re a thing Ryuu, I want people to know.”

And again, Hakuryuu found himself appreciating Judal’s shameless honesty. “Me too.” He admitted, quietly, his heart skipping a beat or two. 

***

There wasn’t a time in recent memory when Hakuryuu had seen so many people, although maybe the liveliness of their number belied the real size of their group. Morgiana, going back to retrieve her lumber, had led Hakuryuu and Judal deeper into the hollow to the intersection of a low road. Set back, a faded sign still stood, proclaiming ‘Bellwood Village Condominiums,’ and past the sign they went, up the private street, the woodland still closed in around them until the first condos came into view. 

Everywhere he looked, suddenly, there were people. On the long lawns, in the empty driveways, emerging from the partially restored blue-grey chains of condominium. In the center of the cul-de-sac, two young women parcelled out fresh fruit to people waiting with baskets in a long queue. There was an astonishing number of children, playing with stubs of sidewalk chalk on a patch of cement. As Morgiana walked through, she set her tree trunk down in a pile with five or six others. These people were really alive, Hakuryuu thought. They were so absorbed in their doings that hardly anyone noticed Hakuryuu and Judal as they passed, and those who did were waved off by Morgiana.

Hakuryuu couldn’t remain silent. “What is all this?” He asked, waving at the gathering.

Morgiana smiled, a little proudly. “It’s a town, I think. Or as close as we can get. If you decide to stay, I’m sure everyone will want to get to know you. You’re something of… A legend around here, I guess. But for right now it’s really important that you talk to someone. We’ll explain everything.” She seemed unused to talking for so long, but she managed to get out a final sentence. “You know, how we got here, what we do, and you can fill us in too.”

On the other hand, Judal seemed less excited. He took Hakuryuu’s hand, wordlessly moving it around his waist to partially obscure his tattoos. Hakuryuu kept it there. The things Judal said he had done, half remembered phantasms that seemed to him almost from another life, would surely make him hated if anyone recognized him. 

They walked on, reaching the very last house in a conjoined line of its brothers. Morgiana hopped up the steps to the faded red door, putting her hand to the knob. “Hakuryuu, it would be better if you came in alone first.”

Judal made a face, stepping forward. “You know what? Fine. But if anything happens to him in there, you’ll all regret it.”

Somehow, Morgiana held her ground. “Nothing will.” She tried another small smile. “When he’s ready you can come in too.”

Reluctantly, Judal let Hakuryuu slip away. “I’m coming in in five minutes whether you like it or not.” He proclaimed, and Hakuryuu nodded, giving him what he hoped was a reassuring look.

It was dark inside, and warm. The hall was lit by only a few lights, but amazingly, they were electric. Morgiana gestured at one feeble bulb. “We got some of the electricity back. We have a few people who are really good at that kind of thing.” Hakuryuu could only nod, staring at the light until his eyes burned with the afterimage. How miraculous technology was.

“Mor?” A door suddenly creaked open, a strangely familiar voice filling the hallway. 

Hakuryuu stiffened, his insides liquidating. “Kougyoku?” He felt his voice crack, but he didn’t care.

The door flew open, and there was his cousin. The last time he’d seen Kougyoku was just before he made his escape, but there was no doubt about it. Her russet hair was long now, and she was almost taller than him, but it was the same girl he thought he’d lost to his mother forever. She stood in the doorway, her eyes wide and confused, one hand clenching at the edge of a too-long sweater sleeve. “I…” She trailed off, looking to Morgiana. 

Maybe she didn’t even recognize him. She’d known him as smaller, more feminine, and now here he was, an adult, as well as a man. He hadn’t even picked his new name before he fled. Morgiana stepped closer, placing a hand on Kougyoku’s shoulder. “It’s your cousin. Hakuryuu.” She said softly, even calmly, and Hakuryuu could have cried when he saw the flash of recognition in Kougyoku’s eyes. 

“It’s really you, right?” She looked him up and down again, a smile wavering at the corners of her mouth. “Oh my god-” She broke off, embracing him. 

“It’s really me, I promise,” he hugged her back, feeling her sink further into his arms. The relief hit him hard. She was here, free and unharmed. Memories of his childhood with her came trickling back in swift streams. “When?” he asked, pulling away only to find that he had tears in his eyes. “When did you get away?”

“About two years ago. After you left, everything got harder. I realized things I hadn’t before.” She sniffed, wiping her own eyes. “All I could do was hope that you were safe somewhere. And try to create a place that would help others find safety too. We’re pretty well hidden here, but…”

Hushing her, Hakuryuu hugged her again. “I think you did an amazing job. This is more than I could’ve done.” He admitted. More than he did do. But this wasn’t his task, his destiny- that lay with Judal. 

She laughed, shaking her head. “I’m just happy you’re okay! Don’t even think about bad-mouthing yourself.”

Right on time, Judal burst into the hallway. “Hakuryuu what’d they do to-” He gaped, his expression comical. “Uh, Kougyoku?”

“You two know each other?” It made sense. Judal arrived after he fled, and stayed after Kougyoku made her disappearance. But in what capacity were they acquainted?

Kougyoku released Hakuryuu, practically beaming in spite of her tears. “Oh, hey Judal! The gang’s all here!” And before Judal could dodge her, she pulled him into the hug with her other arm. 

***

“I used to think sometimes that it would be merciful to die,” Morgiana began, reaching for Kougyoku’s hand as she continued, “to go and join the rest of the faithful your mother was sending to her god. Because that’s how she made it feel, like a rapture. I didn’t know anything except for my life there. My memories of being a child, before all this… they felt so dim and fake.”

She unfolded her legs, stretching one out on the carpet towards where Judal and Hakuryuu sat. Around her ankle, a band of scar tissue sat like a choking bracelet. “You might’ve guessed, but I was a slave. I did the dirty work, the things no one else would do voluntarily. It was a cruel life. In fact… it hardly was a life at all. Which is why I thought it might be okay to die.

“But I was wrong.” She turned, meeting Kougyoku’s eye. Hakuryuu got the feeling there was a second story there, one best left to them. From what he could see there was a bond between them, probably similar to the one he and Judal had found, but it wasn’t the right time to ask. 

“I remember this stretch of days where it seemed like I wasn’t even a person, where I was just a pair of nameless hands. They would send us out into the wild land, to scavenge and search. Meet quotas. I could barely move, but I just kept going, and on the last day, that’s when I found Amon. He was just lying there, trapped in this length of chain I found in a warehouse. I almost took him back for scrap metal, but he spoke in my mind, and for the first time I thought I might truly be free.

“Not free in the way Kougyoku made me feel when we could see each other. Really free. Never have to wear chains again. So I let him find a new home in me, and I was filled with energy. I wasn’t tired anymore. I could just use my hands to take off my chains, because suddenly they were so flimsy. I ran to Kougyoku, and…”

“We escaped! And we took some of the other slaves with us too!” Kougyoku chimed in. “We’d already been talking about running away, but it just didn’t feel real until that day. And then all of the sudden, it was like we could do anything we wanted. We started up a little camp here, and since then, we try to go back and free more people when we can. It’s really become something! Now, what’ve you two been up to?”

Judal interrupted before Hakuryuu could think of a reasonable story to cobble together. “Well right now we’re going back to kill Gyokuen. Guess that’s not a secret. But before this, Hakuryuu was just lounging around in some weird cult? And then I totally seduced him and saved the day, and now he can do badass plant stuff.”

“Judal, that’s…” Hakuryuu sighed, feeling defeated. “Actually sadly accurate.”

Kougyoku looked between them, a little awe-stricken. “You’re going back? To… to finish this? Do you think you can?”

Hakuryuu nodded, tightening his jaw. “Yes. We can. As soon as we can figure out a strategy to get in undetected, we’re going right for her.”

“And what do you mean, he seduced you?” She raised an eyebrow. “Is this- d-did you guys...?”

Morgiana burst into quiet giggles. “I-it’s like that, yeah.”

Hakuryuu reddened, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Hey, how did we get into this? This isn’t really a practical topic, and I-”

“Oh man, you bet we did.” Judal grinned. “Multiple times. Maybe once outside, just on some grass. It was great. He’s into me. He’s got it bad.”

Flustered, Hakuryuu gently shoved Judal’s shoulder. “S-stop that! I’ll tear up your IOU!”

“I wouldn’t say I predicted this at all,” Kougyoku snorted, holding in laughter, “like if two years ago someone asked me about how I thought my runaway cousin’s romantic life would be going, this is definitely not what I would’ve answered.”

“Can we get back on topic?” Hakuryuu mumbled. “I admit it I like him, okay? I didn’t know we were all children here, can’t I have feelings?”

“Aw, poor Hakuryuu and his feelings.” Judal smirked. 

“Don’t make me regret saying that!”

“Oh! That reminds me though!” Kougyoku grew serious again. “I have one more thing you two should see. You three aren’t the only ones that were chosen as vessels.” She gently slipped her hand from Morgiana’s, flicking her index finger at a vase of flowers on a nearby table. Sinuous as a snake, elegant as a ribbon trailing from a dancer’s hand, the water swirled from the vase and pooled into her hand. 

***

The rest of the day was spent learning names. So many, that Hakuryuu could only come away with a few by the time he was ushered to the empty condo where he and Judal would be put up. Kougyoku’s deity was a goddess, Vinea. The two girls who ran supply routes were Sahsa and Leila. Some of Morgiana’s original group of freed slaves were there too, seemingly oddly happy to meet him. There was a little girl, Mina, an older masked man, Goltas, two women with striking similarities to Morgiana, Myron and Razol. He wondered if they were related in some way. 

He also wondered if their reaction would have been different if they knew Judal was with him. Now that he’d left Gyokuen’s side, did that absolve him of the things he’d done as her personal apocalypse priest, or would the people here, who would undoubtedly recognize him, force him back into the wild? Or worse? He would have to talk to his cousin about that. 

By the time the sun was going down, Hakuryuu headed to the condo, where he hoped Judal was still waiting for him. Cracking open the door, he saw that the lights were on in the hallway. “Judal?” He called softly and closing the door behind him. 

He didn’t get an answer. Searching the house, he at last found Judal curled up on the carpet in the master bedroom, his knees tucked up to his chest, one of his bare feet worrying the rug. When Judal noticed his presence, he stiffened, his foot freezing. 

“Ju, what’s wrong?” Hakuryuu asked, sinking down to kneel beside him. Although, he had a feeling he already knew. 

“Them.” Judal muttered. “I could see when we got here, they know me. They saw the things I did. They remember things I probably don’t. They don’t want me here… they won’t believe…” 

Hakuryuu rested his flesh and blood hand on Judal’s back, rubbing gently. “Then we’ll make them. They like me, they’ll believe me. If we show them that those evils you did were as a result of my mother’s corruption, they’ll have to forgive you. You’re not alone, Judal, you don’t know what some of those people have had to do under her authority. If you ask me, I think they’ll be glad to see you free and on the right side.”

Judal turned, his eyes luminous with inner hurt. “Do you really think that?”

“Yes. And, even if you’re not on any side but mine, I know that we’re right. No matter what anybody thinks of you,” Hakuryuu bent lower, taking one of Judal’s hands and gripping it tightly. “No matter what, this is the only thing that matters. Even if the entire fucking world…. Well, what’s left of the entire fucking world, just turned its back on us, I wouldn’t turn my back to you.”

In the darkness, Judal’s grin flashed a sudden white. “We’re gonna get her no matter what, right?”

“No matter what.” Hakuryuu agreed, pulling Judal out of his huddle and into his arms. 

They sat together, the seconds running into minutes, Judal resting his head on Hakuryuu’s shoulder. Without putting too much effort into it, Hakuryuu could feel his life force- a fluttering, rustling thing, like velvety moth wings, beating right along with his heart. That was definitely one aspect of Zagan’s power he wouldn’t be getting used to any time soon. 

He reached for Judal’s braid, teasing a piece of straw from it. “Want me to brush it out? My comb should be good enough to get all the bits.”

Judal wiggled free from his arms, picking his braid loose and shaking his hair free. “Yeah, go ahead. I won’t stop you, if you wanna do my work for me.”

Turning on the low bedroom light, Hakuryuu sat behind him on the carpet, painstakingly combing out his hair. He tried to be gentle around the knots, carefully teasing out the snarls and dry grass. Judal occasionally hummed in approval, twisting so Hakuryuu could reach a section he missed. It was a long process, but at last, Judal’s hair shone dimly in the light, all of it free from tangles and silky to the touch. 

“Is that good?” Hakuryuu asked, tucking the comb back into his knapsack. 

“I’m usually meticulous as hell about it, but I have to say you did fine.” Judal appraised his hair, running his fingers quickly through the strands. “I’m impressed, shit.”

Hakuryuu smiled, filling with the pride of being praised. “Well, I did try my best. I know how much you care for it.”

Judal turned, scooting closer to him, and there were no traces left of the sorrow that held him so tightly earlier. “Maybe I’ll let you do other stuff for me too.” He said, and Hakuryuu’s feelings, which Judal had teased him for only a few hours ago, took a swift turn towards adoration. God, if Judal could hear his thoughts, he would have a field day with them…

Regardless, he was even more stunning with his hair spilling in dark rivers over his shoulders, shining like veins of black glass in the earth. His many piercings glinted like small stars, and Hakuryuu felt his eyes draw to them, as well as the way his waistband rested on his hipbones. 

“So.” He tried out a smug smile of his own. “You told my cousin you seduced me? I could argue it went both ways. It takes two to tango, Judal. You didn’t exactly sweep me off my feet or anything like that, now did you?”

Judal scoffed. “Yeah, and I wouldn’t want to. I’m not into that cheesy shit. And fine, maybe I didn’t totally seduce you, but I tried very hard to! Don’t you appreciate my effort?”

“Of course I do, but give me a little credit, won’t you?” Hakuryuu stood, stretching his legs. He fixed his own hair, re-tying the ponytail before peeling off his shirt. “Well, I guess I’m going to bed now.” He said pointedly, tossing it into a corner and undoing the button of his pants. 

“What, seriously?” Judal groaned. 

“Seriously. I had a long day today, Judal, and this is like… a real bed with a nice mattress and blankets.” He kicked off his shoes, stepping out of his jeans, which left him in only boxers. “Good night.” He said, grinning, looking over his shoulder at Judal’s pathetic expression. 

“That’s really mean of you,” Judal grouched, crossing his arms. “Now you’re just messing with me, getting all naked, making that dumb cute face. Sleeping sucks and I hate it.”

“Ju, I am messing with you,” Hakuryuu snorted, putting his hands on his hips, “I literally only did that to tease you.”

“Shit, really? You’re a huge dick, how did I end up here again?”

“Birds of a feather flock together, Judal,” Hakuryuu offered his hand, and Judal took it, allowing Hakuryuu to pull him up into a deep kiss. 

Judal ignored the insult he’d just been handed, eagerly pressing closer, both hands quickly finding their way to grab Hakuryuu’s ass and give an appreciative squeeze. Hakuryuu felt his face starting to burn, but he knew there wasn’t really a need to be embarrassed with Judal. He slipped a hand beneath Judal’s ragged crop top, his fingers pushing aside Judal’s loose, torn binder. Judal purred, dragging Hakuryuu towards him, purposefully falling backwards onto the mattress with Hakuryuu on top of him. 

Closing his eyes, Hakuryuu slipped away into a world where it was only he and Judal. Judal kissed him deeper, dragging his nails up his lower back, hooking his ankles around him to keep him as close as he possibly could. He hardly wanted to break the kiss, even so Hakuryuu could pull off his binder and shirt, reluctant to raise his arms or stop even for a moment. 

Hakuryuu ached, sudden and sharply. His testosterone-swollen cock, in spite of its still maddening smallness, begged for contact with any part of Judal. The only constant in life is unfairness, he thought vaguely, shoving down his boxers and kicking them away. Try as he might, he would never be able to get properly inside Judal. He moaned into Judal’s mouth, partly out of frustration, partly out of dazed pleasure as Judal used his legs to pull him down, letting Hakuryuu rub against his sweatpants. 

When Judal finally let the kiss break, it wasn’t to whine at the injustice (as he’d done two nights previously) but to give a suggestion. “Hey, Ryuu, you thought about using your power on yourself yet?” He panted, reaching down to shove his pants down. “I don’t know why we didn’t think of it before, but I’m sure you could figure something out.”

Hakuryuu paused to think, his mind in a fog. “On myself…” No, could that really work? He moved back, sitting up between Judal’s legs. “Fuck. I think you’re right. Just let me…” He trailed off, looking to his wooden arm. If he could make an arm out of wood that felt almost real, who was to say he couldn’t briefly create a life-like add-on to his current equipment? 

Looking up at him with not-at-all concealed desire, Judal lay fully back on the mattress, his hair fanning out around him. “I know you can do it, Ryuu.” He grinned. “Try.”

Focusing hard, Hakuryuu envisioned vines and leaves spreading within him. With every beat of his heart, his ventricles pumped chlorophyll down and down, towards his pelvis. He pictured it pooling, and squeezed his eyes shut tight, letting the buzz of magic hold him. What did he want it to look like? And what size? Oh fuck it, as long as it worked anything was alright. The buzzing settled, and he could feel _something_ binding to him, twisting and furling upwards. 

He opened his eyes. It wasn’t wood, but a dark, solid mass of waxy plant membrane, standing erect and quivering slightly. Judal grinned, reaching instantly for it. “I think it’s technically still a plant, but it looks like a dick! I almost thought it might not work, but damn, count my expectations exceeded. Can you feel this, Ryuu?” He stroked the smooth surface, light and quick. 

Hakuryuu felt his stomach tighten, sharp heat burning low. He moaned, his voice cracking. “Uh, fuck. Yeah. I can… Judal, I can, you can stop.” 

“What if I don’t wanna?” He smirked, circling his thumb at the tip, and Hakuryuu had to clap a hand over his mouth. 

“Fine, fine, but don’t leave me waiting!” Judal quickly removed his hand, lying back again. And Hakuryuu didn’t want to. At long last thinking with the ‘wrong’ head, he rubbed up against Judal’s inner thigh, laying kisses up from the top of his tattoo to his neck, where he let his teeth drag up his collarbone. 

Judal’s hands flew again to his back, clawing so sharply that Hakuryuu felt the hot trickle of blood across his skin. His dick throbbed, sending a shock wave up his spine. It would be stupid to prolong this any more. He had a basic idea of what to do; lining up with Judal’s slick, quivering entrance, he slid in, crying out at the delicious, tight warmth. Judal groaned, his voice wavering, shifting himself to rock against him. 

It was easy to move with Judal, to let consciousness slide away to only thoughts of him. So Hakuryuu did, and the room faded away detail by detail, until it was only them and the softly squeaking mattress. 

Judal suddenly burst into laughter, tearing Hakuryuu from his reverie. “Oh, holy shit I just thought of something,” he wheezed, shaking his head, “do you think like, because we’re vessels and all, that this is technically a five-some? Me, you, and the gods sort of possessing us? It’s like every time we fuck, they’re also fucking, right?”

Hakuryuu flushed, snickering a little. “Okay, I mean… maybe? Sorta kinda? If it is, I hope they’re enjoying it as much as we are.” And with that he kissed Judal tenderly, swallowing his laughter, thrusting into Judal until he clutched the sheets and cursed, moving desperately back against Hakuryuu until, shuddering and clenching around him, he came. 

Unsure what to do, Hakuryuu slid back, his cock bobbing free. Judal recovered quickly, smiling smugly up at him, a very satisfied look on his face. “Hey, you’re not done yet Ryuu, you can finish y’know. Plus I wanna see what happens with this if you do it inside.” He lifted his hips, insistently.

“Alright, okay,” Hakuryuu returned the smile, eagerly pushing back in. Judal trailed his hands up Hakuryuu’s chest, and Hakuryuu, knowing what was coming next, shivered hard in anticipation as Judal gently pressed his thumbs against his throat. 

He didn’t have long. He managed a few stuttering thrusts before Judal tightened down, choking him just enough to hurt but not enough to truly stop his breathing. His hips jerked, flashes of pleasure burning up in a spiral from his waist. He felt something spill, pooling inside Judal, and a little panicked, he quickly pulled out. A strange, viscous green fluid spurted weakly from the tip, undoubtedly staining the sheets under them. Hakuryuu stared, still caught in the rush of his orgasm. “W-what the fuck?”

Judal sat up, poking the green puddle. “It… kinda feels like water?” He said, before looking with glee to Hakuryuu’s waist. “Look! You bloomed! Oh my god this is so cute…”

Hakuryuu looked down in confusion, to find that the tip of his false dick had sprouted a vibrant purple flower. “Shit…” He snorted, poking it. “This is ridiculous.”

As quickly as it had grown, the plant withered at its base, dropping to the sheets. Gleefully, Judal snatched it up. “Hah! I’m gonna press this and keep it forever!”

“Please, please don’t,” Hakuryuu groaned, trying in vain to take it back. 

“Nah, never, it’s mine now!” Judal crowed, tossing the bloom onto the endtable. “You should be glad I appreciate your dick flower, Hakuryuu.”

Hakuryuu sighed, scooting further up the bed and folding the blanket over them. “I give up, do whatever you want with it.”

Judal smirked, curling up against him and kissing his chest. “Thanks for the permission, but I didn’t need it.”

As Hakuryuu drifted off, a sense of belonging so right it was almost tangible settled over him. He held Judal close, feeling that the warmth and the flutter of his life force was like a promise, a bond. He sank into a deep sleep, and dreamed only of the man sleeping beside him. 

***  
Hakuryuu woke before the sun rose, and carefully getting out of bed, he walked to the window and drew open the curtains. He hadn’t dressed before sleeping, but astonishingly, to himself most of all, he didn’t mind his own body for once. The darkness beyond the windowpane was fading to purple, the outlines of trees popping out from the paling sky. As he watched, his breath pooling on the window in ever widening circles of fog, the light of day crept like a stain over the land, falling prism-like into a rainbow of shades-gold on the trees, light and fair on the grasses, eerie and luminous like moonlight on the roofs of other houses. 

He rested his wooden hand on the window, tuning himself in like a radio searching for a signal. The world had a heartbeat as the sun warmed the plants and creeping things. Like a drum, it pounded against his palm, insistent and ancient, commanding his attention. 

Though he was near-perfectly focused, Hakuryuu did not start when Judal slid silently from the blankets and embraced him from behind. His skin was cold, but it was pleasant, like a breeze off the sea. “Hakuryuu…” He breathed, and his voice sounded like the heartbeat in Hakuryuu’s palm. 

Hakuryuu leaned back into his chest. “Yes?”

“I had a dream. About you. I had an idea.” His voice rose a little, an edge of passion seeping in, and Hakuryuu felt a chill. This was the voice of Judal, the high priest. One who could control the bones of the dead, who could steal the warmth from the air. And here he was, this being of power, embracing him and whispering to him. 

“Tell me,” Hakuryuu replied, placing his flesh hand over one of Judal’s.

“Why do we need to sneak to that whore’s doorstep, when we could destroy her in a real war? We have a whole body of people, scorned and hurt and wounded by her reign. We have gods living inside of us. If this is a war of ideas, her mythology against us, then we make our own superstitions, we make our own power. And Hakuryuu… In my dream, I saw you, leading them. Guiding them. But it’s not just a war of ideas,” his tone grew giddy, excited, “because we have real strength, to usurp her.”

Hakuryuu shook his head once, then stopped. What would be so bad about that, anyway? It would get the job done. All these people would at last have a figure to rally behind, and with someone like Judal at his side, who could say he didn’t have the right? “Are you asking me to form an army, Judal?”

“It won’t be hard, trust me. With a group…” He seemed to drift off into thought. “We can distract her people with an assault, and then you, me, and the other vessels can find a way around and finish the job before she gets the jump on us.”

“But will they want me? As their leader? Will they want their revenge as badly as we want ours?”

Judal kissed the back of his neck. “Trust me, won’t you? In my dream they did. Don’t you think it’s worth trying? And fuck, Hakuryuu, I’d bet anything on you. I already have.”

The fluttering being in Hakuryuu’s chest jumped and twitched, stirring from his own sleep. Yes, Hakuryuu thought he seemed to say. You were meant for this. 

“How do we start?” Hakuryuu asked, and the sun disc sprang triumphantly from the horizon, filling the room with strange, twisted shadows. 

***

In the afternoon, Hakuryuu returned to his cousin’s home, knocking twice at the door before she answered. Making sure Kougyoku had no time to speak, he began as soon as she opened up. “I need to ask you something very important. I couldn’t yesterday, because I hadn’t thought of it, but I need to today, and our time might be short.”

Thoroughly surprised, Kougyoku shuffled back, beckoning him into the house. “Morg and I are making lunch, but… if it’s super important, I can hear you out. I mean, I really missed you, Hakuryuu. It would be great if we could do some less serious stuff too, if you know what I mean.”

Now wasn’t the time for hanging out. Judal partly told Hakuryuu what to say, and though Hakuryuu figured out the rest on his own, he feared if he waited any longer he might forget. He stepped quickly inside, closing the door behind him. “I love you and all, but this kind of serious is worth paying attention to. You and Morgiana take care of things around here. You lead these people, and what you say matters. Judal and I have a plan, but it won’t work without man-power, and if you two don’t give it the okay, nothing we do will mean shit. And it would be wrong to go over your head, besides.”

Kougyoku wrinkled her nose. “Okay, okay, can you just say it? You got a lot more melodramatic, that’s for sure.”

He lowered his voice. “If you’re willing, and if your people are, we’ll mobilize. Judal thinks that with the four of us, putting me in sort of a flagship position, we can intimidate my mother, and if we gather enough support, we’ll be able to make a real military advance. It’ll have to be a more of a guerilla effort, if anything.”

She stared at him, biting the inside of her cheek. “I don’t know, Hakuryuu. You want me to tell everyone in here that we have to stop living in peace, and go fight and possibly die?”

Hakuryuu shook his head. “Absolutely not, and that’s because while she’s still alive and things continue as they are, we can’t know peace. No one will. Just because you can put something rotten in a closet to keep it from view, it’ll eventually stink so bad you’ll have to open the door and deal with it.”

That got her attention. “I’m not saying I haven’t thought of it myself! I mean, Morg and I are a good team, but we just never felt… we didn’t ever think it was the right time. We didn’t think we could do anything.”

“Then maybe now is the right time.” In that moment, hearing his own voice, Hakuryuu began to feel some semblance of the faith he had, one way or another, inspired in Judal. “We can plan it just the four of us for now, and if we can all agree, then we’ll go. Only people who want to go will come, and you can select a deputy to take charge here in the meantime. Is that alright with you?”

Kougyoku’s eyes darted back and forth, between Hakuryuu’s face and a spot on the wall. “Let me think. I’ll tell Morg, and if she thinks it’s okay, we’ll come find you and Judal.”

“How do you know him, by the way?” Hakuryuu chuckled. “I mean, obviously you know him, but you’re friends?”

“I mean, we saw each other a few times, when we were still… back in that place. He was scary at a distance, but up close he wasn’t so bad!” She gave a small smile. “He just liked teasing me, in a way my real brothers didn’t. But it reminded me of the way a brother would act. I’d say we’re… acquaintances. How do _you_ know him, Hakuryuu?” She said, her smile turning smug. 

“I don’t think anybody can know Judal. But if you’re going to be crass, I know him really fucking well, if you get my drift.”

Kougyoku snorted back laughter, shaking her head. “Yeah, but do you like him? Are you like, gay for him?”

“Do you-” He groaned. “How did we get to this? If I tell you honestly will you stop?”

“Yeah, just tell me!”

“Fine. I like him, sure. I think even under the insane circumstances we met, I really like him. Would I say I’m gay for him? I guess, but those aren’t really the words I would use. Maybe,” Hakuryuu turned a little more pink, “maybe I kind of love him. A little. Don’t you dare say anything or I’ll… I don’t know, I’ll cry.”

Kougyoku smirked, ruffling his hair. “I knew it!”

He scowled, swatting her hand away. “Don’t make fun of me, and I’m serious don’t tell anybody!”

“If it makes you feel any better I’ll tell you how I feel about Morg!”

“I mean, I don’t know, will it?” Still, he couldn’t help being curious. They seemed incredibly close, but he couldn’t be quite sure.

“Well, I love her. And I can actually admit it.” Kougyoku grinned. “Would I say we’re a power couple? Sure, I might go that far.”

Hakuryuu crossed his arms, looking back to the door. “I just came here to tell you our plan, not to gossip and stuff. But… that’s sweet and I’m happy for you guys.” He said quickly. “I should probably find something for Judal to eat, he doesn’t feel comfortable leaving the house yet. He’s scared someone will really recognize him and raise an alarm.”

“I’ll get a plate for both you guys, once we’re done making lunch! Hey, didn’t you used to be awesome at cooking?”

“Used to be?” Hakuryuu rose to the bait, looking away from the door for good. “I’m still pretty good at it. I can make almost anything you want. Do you guys need help?”

“If you could make us some dessert, that would be great! Come on, you know you kinda want to show off.” With that, his cousin grabbed him by the arm, dragging down towards the kitchen.

***  
Almost another full day passed before Kougyoku and Morgiana appeared on Hakuryuu’s doorstep. Hakuryuu, at the tender hour of ten am, found himself suddenly awake on the living room couch; Judal worked up a lot of energy being cooped up in the condo, and Hakuryuu couldn’t resist helping him exercise at least some of it. He groaned, tried to sit up, only to find that Judal was plastered to his chest, snoring loudly. There was a second loud knock at the door, but even that didn’t rouse him.  
“Fuck, shit…” Hakuryuu muttered, his hand flying to his neck, then trying in vain to flatten his hair down. “Judal, wake up, I think that’s Kougyoku!”

Judal made a faint noise of protest but still didn’t wake. At a third knock, Hakuryuu wriggled out from under him, desperately throwing on whatever clothes he could find dotting the living room and the hall. As a precaution, not wanting to dress Judal completely, Hakuryuu wrapped him mostly in a blanket, half-covering his face with a throw pillow. There. Unless he started to snore again, Kougyoku might not notice him, right?

Unless she wanted to talk to him too. But that was a problem for after he figured out the first problem- how to make himself look at least slightly presentable. There was a small mirror in the hall bathroom, and he groaned again as he got a full-frontal portrait of the Judal’s aftermath. The faucet didn’t work, but if Hakuryuu put his hair back in a bun it didn’t look so awful.

Still. There was no way he could hide the rest of it. He grimaced, poking an almost purple bite mark, which just barely missed being hidden by his collar. Well, he certainly wasn’t a coward. If he could reasonably think of himself leading a small army, he could talk to his cousin covered in hickeys. 

Swallowing his embarrassment, he started to the door, throwing it open to both Kougyoku and Morgiana, who was holding a notebook. Kougyoku, though some fantastic feat of self-control, only gave a brief look to his neck and collarbone. “Um, are you busy?” She held back laughter, but a tiny smile threatened the corner of her mouth. 

“Nope. Totally not busy at all, in any way.” He assured her. “Why don’t you guys come in? Do you have an answer for me?”

Morgiana nodded, patting her notebook. “We wrote down a few points for planning. But the short answer is yes. We want to work with your idea.”

Hakuryuu felt his mood instantly improve. “Shit, really? Let’s sit at the kitchen table, you can pitch me your points. Judal is still asleep.”

Almost imperceptibly, Kougyoku and Morgiana shared a look. “Yeah, he needs his rest,” Morgiana smiled slightly, heading straight down the hall and blessedly, avoiding looking into the living room.

The first few points were about preparation. “We want to have at least a few days of practice fighting each other. We don’t know what kinds of things will be waiting for us for sure, so it’ll help to build up more skills. Especially since you only got your abilities like a week ago,” Kougyoku tapped her fingernail against the notebook page. “No offense or anything, but we have to make sure you’re up to snuff too.”

Hakuryuu sighed. “That makes sense. Next?”

“We know you’re not gonna be psyched about this one, but Morg and I kind of wanted to keep like, a veto power? But only when it comes to our people. If you and Judal want them to do something we really don’t agree with, or that will put them in more danger than necessary, we need to be able to just cut that right off. Not that I think you’ll intentionally endanger anyone! But just as a last resort.” 

“I understand wanting to keep your people safe. I agree to that, but it still has to look like I’m in control most of the time. I’m like Judal’s flag-ship… It might be less about how skilled I am and more about my reputation, but he thinks of people get behind somebody, it has to be me.”

Morgiana shrugged. “I see his point. Just the fact that you ran away from her with no help and no backup plan… and the kind of things she did to you. Your face helps.”

Hakuryuu gently touched the edge of the scar where it crossed his nose. “That I believe. It makes a statement at least. In the mythology Judal thinks we can build, the fact that I was in that fire and survived says a lot about the archetype he wants to make me into.”

Leaning on her elbows, Kougyoku smiled softly. “You definitely put a lot of trust in him, huh? Every few minutes it’s all ‘Judal this, Judal that’. It’s like, okay, he’s clearly got a ton of faith in you for whatever reason, but even if you don’t come out and say it, you have the same amount in him. Just hearing the way you say he describes you makes me want to believe in you too, if that makes any sense.”

“He was right in picking me, then,” Hakuryuu laughed nervously, “Probably. If my appeal is to inspire faith…”

“You’ll be the opposite of your mother,” Morgiana said, “It’ll be a huge draw. Myron and I made maps of all the areas surrounding the city. We’re actually very close to the line of your mother’s territory right now, but the advantage of that is we can make a quick path towards the center of her power and pick up people along the way from the spots we have marked.”

“I just have one other concern,” Kougyoku sighed, “It’s Judal. We have no idea how anyone will react to him.”

“I have an idea,” Hakuryuu sat up a little taller. “If we spread rumors about how Judal really did defect, and he’s broken completely free of Gyokuen and her advisors, it won’t be a surprise to anyone when he shows up at my side. He’ll be the priest he was for Gyokuen, only now he’s with us… I think it could end up being a confidence boost. I’ve seen how imposing he can be. His powers are incredible. If the people know he’s on our side for sure, I have a feeling they’ll only be glad to know we have his abilities and she doesn’t.”

There was a muffled groaning noise from the couch, the pillow that Hakuryuu put over Judal’s head falling to the carpet. “Whatta fuck, ‘re you talkin’ about me?” He mumbled, his voice slurred with sleep. Before Hakuryuu could stop him, he sat up, blinking over at the kitchen table. “Wha’s happening?”

Hakuryuu stood, trying to block the view in case Judal decided to stand up. “Alright everybody meeting over! Come back later!”

Kougyoku laughed, shaking her head. “Nope, I think we’re fine. Just make him get ready, we’ll go wait outside for ten minutes and come back.

Nodding, Hakuryuu waited for the sound of the front door falling closed to move even an inch from where he stood. Today was going to be a long, long day.

***  
Past the trees where Hakuryuu saw the rays of the rising sun, past the furthest homes, the last cracked boundary of the road, an open, savannah-like field spread out beneath the blue sky. The domesticated grass that had been landscaped there decades ago was weak, and gave way quickly to weeds, crabgrass, burrs and blackberry bushes. Hakuryuu stood with his heels on the final small island of asphalt, looking down over the field, the waving grasses, towards a massive glacial erratic in the northwest corner of the sprawling space. 

At the top, he could just barely see, there was one of Judal’s bone bracelets shining white in the direct sunlight. Beyond the stone, there was a dense, dark pine wood. To the left, there was a hilly glade, with more pines, interspersed with birch trees. To the right, there was a steep clay incline, bottoming out at a fast-moving brook. 

They had played this game five separate times, in five separate locations. The aim was simple; reach the bracelet before anyone else. Hakuryuu had only won in the second round. This time would probably be their last. Even if he didn’t win, Hakuryuu wanted to go out with a bang. 

He had to be aware of Morgiana’s fire most of all, especially here. One spark might set all the grass ablaze in moments. Judal’s ice usually melted in her flames, and his zombie creatures would burn all too quickly. Kougyoku, on the other hand, could put the fire out, but multitasking with her water was more difficult for her than it looked. Hakuryuu knew Morgiana understood her strength here too. It was probably for the best if he acted fast. 

Only, he wasn’t sure if his plan would work. The bacteria he’d briefly controlled while sparring Judal hadn’t been anything to sneeze at, but they were nothing compared to what he hoped he could do now. He drew in a long breath, and took a step off the asphalt chunk and into the wild grasses. 

Seconds later, Kougyoku soared as though on wings up the side of the clay bluff, strands of water from the brook forming a cradle for her body. Pressurized, they shot her over the edge, into the expanse of the field. Ignoring Hakuryuu, she plunged a jet of water into the grass, and a hissing scream rose. 

Hakuryuu saw then; the swaying in the grass wasn’t all from the wind. While the others waited, Judal had acted, sending squirrels and rabbits and voles into the grass to lie in wait like land mines. On the other side of the field, Judal traipsed out from the pines like he was enjoying a peaceful walk, his fingers twitching and jerking. A wave rippled through the grass, and almost too late, Hakuryuu stiffened the grass in front of him like the tines of a comb, blocking a rotting, squealing woodchuck from reaching him. 

Judal was almost at the rock when the fire started. It burned in a wall out of the birch trees, lightning-fast and so hot that Hakuryuu could feel it all the way on the other side of the field. There was no more time to waste; no matter how worried Hakuryuu was, he could either take the chance, or lose it for good. 

He let the world- the heat of the fire, the hiss of evaporating water, the prickling burrs- fall away. In a strange, green-grey space, time seemed to slow and stop. Hakuryuu twitched his wooden hand, letting each finger pluck and curl around the threads of life energy in the air. All he had to do now was pull, and bend them to his will. 

Microbes in the weeds, in the dirt, living simple single cell lives invisible to the naked eye. Hakuryuu sought them out one by one, calling each of them to his side. 

For a moment, he was paralyzed with exertion. It wasn’t going to work. The thing in his ribs beat frantically, twisting around his heart like a nervous animal. His eyes rolled easily back in his head, and gravity sunk chains into his legs, yanking him down.

At the last second, he crossed the line. It had been all or none, and just as his legs were about to give, in the eternity trapped inside three, maybe four beats of his heart, he made the connection stick. Hakuryuu came to the a surge of strength, a second wind buoying him up. At his feet, curling like vicious hunting dogs, was a mass of green, wurm-like beasts, They were grotesque, none of their features fully formed, their skin sticking and bubbling. Hakuryuu reached down to touch one, and felt a spark. 

They were his. These monsters belonged to him. While Kougyoku, Morgiana, and even Judal stopped to watch, Hakuryuu balanced on the back of the largest bacterial creature, letting it and the others carry him across the smoldering grass towards the rock.

Calmly, he took the bracelet and slid it onto his wrist. With a flick of his fingers, he dismissed the creatures, letting them shrink back to their unicellular origins, and slid down the side of the rock to where Judal waited with open arms.

“I don’t even care that I didn’t win!” Judal crowed, embracing him tightly and holding him off the ground. “That was badass! I knew you had it in you somewhere!”

Hakuryuu felt the pressure of exhaustion grey the edges of his mind, but he still managed to smile. “Now I’m just as scary as you are.” He said, taking pride in the fact. 

***  
The rumors spread quickly. At first it was just whispers- that Judal had been seen, that he was nearby. It evolved- one day he was a shiftless vagrant, the next he had used his powers to attack a group of slave-holding lords in Gyokuen’s territory. From person to person the gossip leapt and adapted. First Hakuryuu joined them. The people, unaware that he was right beneath their noses, hoped that Judal would seek them out as well.

Hakuryuu knew the things Judal had done. It was surreal to watch and listen as the refugees forgot. 

But that did not mean he was not grateful.

Another week passed, and they decided it was time. Judal had waited too long. Everything had waited too long for this. 

The last night before they put the plan into action, Hakuryuu walked alone along the perimeter of the houses. He breathed in the cold and damp, tried to steady his nerves. Tomorrow, they would begin something that could not be undone. He wasn’t sure whether he was excited, or filled with fear. In the fall shadows, he could see children running through the cul de sac. The shadows of men and women blurred in the yellow windows. 

Hakuryuu was by himself, separate, watching life go on. Then, though he could barely hear the footsteps in the grass behind him, he was not. Morgiana rounded the corner to join him, standing quietly at his side for a minute or two before speaking. “Are you scared?”

She really hit the nail on the head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I think it’s just in my head. I know we have to do it, sooner or later. I think I just wasn’t ready to drag so many people into it with Judal and I. Even you and Kougyoku, I mean, if I hadn’t found you, you both would have just been content living here and helping people a little at a time. Am I wrong?”

She turned to him, her face resolute, his eyes burning like quiet embers. “Yes. You are. I’ve hated the people who took my from my family and treated me like a possession as long as I can remember, even if some days it didn’t seem so bad, or it felt like I’d never be free. I don’t think I would have been able to just live quietly here and done nothing. I needed the spark of meeting you, but all of this… all of my need for justice… it’s been in me the whole time. Sorry if that doesn’t make sense.”

Blushing, Hakuryuu looked down at his feet, which were fuzzy suggestions in the dark. “No, no, that makes sense! I guess I just wasn’t thinking enough from your point of view but… yeah, that makes a lot of sense. If the others here feel the same, I think it’ll be fine. I just have one more… fuck, I guess it’s not a concern, just a fact.”

Morgiana tilted her head. “I’m listening.”

“You, me, Judal, Kougyoku… everyone else here. We would be fighting so we could live freely, or so those we know could live freely. The key word is live. The thing about those cultists… have you heard about the-”

“Sacrifices? Hakuryuu, sometimes we can smell them. If they use burnings, the ash drifts…”

He shuddered, slightly but still visibly. Burning. Right. “So you know? This is their ultimate form of worshipping death. Giving themselves to it. I haven’t seen her followers in person in years, so i can’t know of course, but the thing is. We’re fighting to live. They’re fighting to die, and they don’t care whether they do or not, as long as they’re serving their god and my mother.”

“Are you suggesting that gives them an advantage?”

Hakuryuu sighed. “I guess I am suggesting that, yes.”

“We just have to fight harder then. You said it yourself, we’re fighting to right wrongs, so we can live in a better world. So that we don’t feel listless or forgotten by time.” She smiled, looking up at the sky, where stars were just beginning to come out. “That gives us something more to strive for. They don’t care one way or another I bet, but we care. We care very much.”

***  
Judal woke all of them up before dawn.

Hakuryuu, preparing himself to be very upset by the loss of a completed and healthy sleep cycle, found himself greeted by the most smug smile imaginable the moment he opened his eyes. Judal hovered above him, shaking his shoulder, just in case he wasn’t already awake. “Come on, wake up! I have a surprise!”

Kougyoku and Morgiana had slept on the floor of the living room, using couch cushions as pillows. They too were awake, Kougyoku rubbing her eyes and muttering to herself, Morgiana too tired to complain. Hakuryuu sat up, holding in a yawn. “Do you feel like telling any of us what it is sometime today?”

“No way, I wanna see your face when I show you what I’ve been working on!” Judal bounced off the couch like a hyperactive cat, grabbing Hakuryuu’s hand. “Like seriously, I’ve had way too much free time cooped up in here, you guys better be impressed.”

That was true. Judal had had fourteen whole days where he mostly stayed cooped up in the one condo. It probably would’ve driven him insane if he didn’t have some kind of small project to work on. “I’ll come look at it, don’t worry. You coming?” Hakuryuu stood, looking to Kougyoku and Morgiana. 

Kougyoku pouted, but dragged herself to her feet, helping up a half-asleep Morgiana. “Yeah okay, I don’t think we even have a choice.”

Like an all-too cheerful pied piper, Judal led them down the steps into the cellar-like basement, which was clammy and almost empty. Except for four battered plastic bins, which Judal had separated by a few feet each. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, gesturing to them. “Happy birthday! This is just what we need, trust me. Go look! Hakuryuu, yours is green, Gyoku, yours is blue, and Morgiana, you get the purple.”

“Should I be scared?” Hakuryuu moved cautiously towards the box, as though it were a landmine he was trying to defuse. When Judal didn’t answer, he reluctantly bent down and popped off the lid. 

Nothing popped out at him, which was an immediate relief. Inside the box, on the very top, was a white robe made of soft, light fabric. It would tie at the waist, and a messily painted dragon ran up the breast. Next, a pair of dark pants, made of thick sturdy cloth. Assorted items scattered in the bottom included a long, silky ribbon, a fake costume feather, jars of what looked like paint, and a thin, heavily stylized gold chain. 

Hakuryuu let the last item slip through his fingers. “How did you get all of this?”

“I just sent some helpers to look for it, y’know? Racoons have thumbs, they make good little thieves!”

Hakuryuu picked up the robe again. “I… I am guessing you want me to wear this?”

Kougyoku appraised it. “That is a bold statement. Really bold. I’ve only ever seen you in basic clothes, I can’t even picture you in this.”

“Yeah! I do want you to wear it! I’m gonna dress all of us up!” Judal insisted, pushing the robe towards him. “Listen buddy, nothing matters anymore. In case you needed a reality check, the world ended like fifteen years ago. Appearances are everything here. If you wanna look like some kind of badass rebel leader, you have to look it, duh.”

When Hakuryuu made a face, Judal rolled his eyes. “Just let me! Do you think I dress the way i do for the fun of it?”

“.... yes.”

Morgiana stepped over to her box, pulling out a silky white dress, an ornate gold hairclip and a wooden lacquer necklace. “I like mine so far.” She said, with a small smile. “I kind of always wanted to play dress-up.” She bent down, digging through more of the contents.

Maybe there was some sense to it. And with any luck, he would get used to it. Hakuryuu relented. “Alright. I’ll let you dress me up. Only if you promise no one will laugh at me.”

“Eh, I can’t promise that, but you’ll look impressive at least!” Judal grinned. 

Twenty minutes and a lot of expired face paint later, Hakuryuu trudged back down the stairs. “I look ridiculous.”

Kougyoku giggled. “Hey, no you don’t! Don’t say-” She wheezed softly, turning around. “I can’t lie to you like this…”

Judal hopped down the stairs after him. “Hey, you look fine, don’t listen to her!” He smoothed the front of the robe, popping the neckline a little wider. “There we go, we need this view.”

The robe actually fit pretty well, and so did the pants. The ribbon, which Judal put in his usual bun, kept hitting his back and drove him a little bit crazy. The eyeshadow and liner Judal insisted on putting on him actually weren’t so bad. The jewelry was terrible and gaudy, and so was the feather Judal stuck in his hair for seemingly no reason, but the worst part of it all were the crude eyes Judal painted all over his body. On his forehead, his neck, his arms, in some bizarre primitive display. “Do we really though?”

“Yes! I need it! Now come on Kougyoku, you’re next!”

Kougyoku’s outfit was a sight more classy, and Hakuryuu was instantly jealous. She wore a long, light blue trench coat, which was tied loosely at the waist. She, too, had gotten the face paint experience, but hers was subtle. Only one eye popped up, just below her neck, where a glinting golden necklace sat. Judal had done her hair, twisting it up on the top of her head and holding it with an intricate system of pins. 

It would have been impossible not to notice how quickly Morgiana’s face darkened. “You’re very pretty…” She mumbled, and Kougyoku laughed, hugging her. 

Hakuryuu glared at Judal. “You couldn’t have given me a make-over?”

“Hakuryuu, you’re hot no matter what you’re wearing,” Judal said, so honestly that it shut Hakuryuu up instantly, “and part of your appeal is being scary, too. You have to make an impression, you know? You have to be the scary badass everyone thinks you are!”

“Shhhh.” Hakuryuu quickly kissed his forehead. “I’m convinced. Thank you for all the thought you put into this.”

Judal preened. “You are very fucking welcome. Now come on Morg, I gotta fix you up too!”

Morgiana reluctantly wiggled out of Kougyoku’s hug, grabbing her things and following after Judal. When she returned after some time, in her silky white garments, a thick white fabric belt wrapped around her waist, her usual side ponytail held by the gold clip and thick eyeliner- not to mention the eyes- Judal had completed his own look. If anything, he was the most impressive of the four of them, Hakuryuu thought, staring dumbly as he descended back to the cellar floor. 

He wore no shoes, as per usual. Also as usual, the loose black sweatpants, but now so low on his hips, Hakuryuu could clearly make out the way they dipped, the way his tattoo curled around his navel and brushed his waistband. A golden piercing shone from his navel, and carved bone bracelets marched steadily up his arms from ring-adorned fingers. A nigh-uncountable number of earring studs took up his ears. Bones and precious stones seemed to speckle his entire body. 

There was a single eye in the center of his forehead, huge and dark, ringed with red, just like his own eyes beneath it. Streaks of paint curved down his face and cheeks, like fissures, passing around purple ochre powder on his eyelids. He wore the white shawl he had once used as a pillow wrapped around his shoulders, secured with what could only be a large human rib. 

While Kougyoku fawned over Morgiana, Hakuryuu felt himself become rooted to the spot. He was beautiful. No, more than that. Transcendent. Terrifying, objectively, but that was the point of it. Terrifying and, somehow, the most attractive sight of Hakuryuu’s life. 

His mind began to run without his permission. Sure, he would love to get rid of those sweatpants immediately, but was it a requirement? His sudden, very timely boner rubbed a little against the inside of his boxers. Okay, maybe it was a requirement. 

Judal noticed immediately, sliding an arm around Hakuryuu’s shoulders and leaning close, his smile suggesting he knew exactly what he was doing. “Well. Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s rude as fuck to stare?”

“I thought you would’ve appreciated me staring,” Hakuryuu said, his voice just a tiny bit rough. He was controlling himself. It would waste too much time to take advantage of this moment, and Judal and his tattoos and his ridiculously low slung pants would be around later too. 

“Oh, I do.” Judal kissed him quickly before slipping away again. “Alright! Now we’re ready to go! Any questions? Concerns?”

When no one spoke, he led the way upstairs, and Hakuryuu couldn’t help lingering a few steps behind for the view. 

***  
Kougyoku and Morgiana had gone out into the bright, cold dawn to spread the word that yes, Judal had found them, and that he and Hakuryuu had a statement to give. There were fifty or so adults in the entire encampment, and they expected most of them would show up for this.

Meanwhile, Judal and Hakuryuu waited inside in the dim hall, waiting for their return. It was quiet and warm, but Hakuryuu had a static taste in his mouth. Almost like the feeling when a lightning storm is about to start, he thought vaguely. With Judal beside him, the air was almost electrified anyway.

He reached down, taking Judal’s hand with his wooden one and squeezing hard. Judal looked up, grinning at him, and despite his frightening make-up, the smile was almost innocent. “Hey. You nervous?”

Hakuryuu swallowed, answering truthfully. “No. I’m not. You were right, this outfit helps actually. And with you at my side… I mean, look at you.” He found himself smiling back, a little of his previous longing for Judal trickling in with the anticipation. “No. This is how this has to happen.”

Judal kissed him softly, squeezing his hand back. “I thought you might say something like that,” he said as they parted, his eyes glowing softly like whirlpools of molten rock in the core of the earth. 

The door opened a sliver of light piercing into the hall, and outside Hakuryuu could see faces. Rows and rows of faces. His heart jumped, pounding hard, an engine pushing him forward. He and Judal stepped through the door, one after another, into the clear morning light. 

Unsure what to say, but knowing that he had to say it, Hakuryuu began to speak. 

END OF PART TWO


End file.
